Perfectly Flat Floor!!!- How to Float a Floor for Tile (Mortar Bed)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2024
- Perfectly Flat Floor!!!- How to Float a Floor for Tile. In this video I show how to float a floor (mortar bed) to achieve a perfectly flat and level floor for tile installation. This is an instructional video, aiming to teach tile installers the method that was used before the invention of thinset mortar and dates back to at least the early 1900's.
This method is a cheap and low tech way to make a floor flat and level. It can be used in lieu of Self-Leveling Underlayment (SLU) which is a more expensive way of achieving the same flat and level floors. This video shows how a floor float (mortar bed) can be used to make a curbless entry shower application, which is a popular trend here in the year 2020.
For other related videos:
How to make mortar from scratch: • How to Make MORTAR fro...
What is Deck Mud and Fat Mud?: • What is Deck Mud and F...
Easy Deck Mud: • Easy Deck Mud: Tile Co...
If you found this video useful, entertaining, or intriguing, please share it and click the like button.
If you would like to see more of these videos, uploaded on a weekly basis, make sure to click the subscribe button and turn on the notifications.
If you have questions, leave your comments in the section below and follow me on instagram @tilecoach :www.instagram....
Last but not least I love you, and I love being your tilecoach, and I'll see you on the next video!
Just wondering what ever happen with that bathroom u where supposed to do for that disabled kid ????
Hi Martin. That kid is my son Beau. Just to update you, Isaac has done EVERYTHING in his power to make our bath/shower project happen and the only thing preventing us from getting it done is COVID-19. Isaac (and wife) have orchestrated the entire project, to include the design and all of the ordering to include tools that can't travel, vanity, counter-top, tile, sink, shower glass, trim finishes, and all of the supplies needed to complete the project. Isaac has done all of this while running his family, business, and keeping this channel up for all of us who love it. We couldn't be more thankful for everything he's already done for us. We're looking forward to working with Isaac when it's safe for everyone involved. Hopefully sometime this summer /fall we'll be pumping out a few videos showing Beau using his new shower! Thanks for the interest!
Jason Gallardo i was wondering too. Thanks for the quick update. Can’t wait for yalls project to start and finish !
@@thegodalbert9871 Thanks so much Albert! It's going to be fun, and educational! Just don't want Isaac to see my kitchen tile work now that I know what lippage is:)
Love that he’s going above and beyond that’s why I look up to this man witch there where more people like him stay safe keep that lil boy safe and loved take care Sr.
Jason Gallardo Jason Gallardo Thx for update, appreciate it, & figured covid19 was “holding” things up a bit. That said; Beau gonna love it when finally finished. So happy for you guys; & Isaac & Marisa are wonderful ppl, & know will be ecstatic when things are complete 👍🏻👍🏻
Again, thx for an update.
Cheers✌🏼
What ever you charge it’s not enough. I’ve done this work for 35yrs. The smaller the bathroom the harder they are to work in. It’s back breaking work that will make you walk funny after a few years. Your a true pro who seriously cares about the (most important) quality of prep work that’s done. It’s real easy to take shortcuts with the prep that no one will ever see or appreciate. There’s a lot of patience needed things can spiral out of control pretty quickly so you have a great attitude. I’m one of those old school guys you talk about but we use most of the same methods. Not much has changed when doing the job the right way. I was called a dinosaur when I refused to use wonder board or cement board but I also never returned to a job ever for a crack repair or leak. Keep doing what your doing the work will speak for itself that was usually good enough for me.
Homeowners I'm sure don't realize or appreciate the amount of cost and labor that goes into adding that "beach entry" shower! Well done as usual my friend!
I love how you keep minor mistakes in the video and how to respond to them. It makes the videos so much more real and practical!
Good point Mr. Teppo, I agree. No job goes without corrections in real-time.
I agree 100%
I've been tiling 25 years,and to be able to pick up new tips,methods and ideas from this guy is Great.There are way to few Great tile guys out there.MOST ARE HACKS.This guy nails it!Knows his shit!
I've been in the tile install business for over 35 years. You are a great teacher. I learned from old timers in NYC when everything was mud work. Became a dieing art for a long time. I went to seminars everywhere i could because I was crazy interested in doing everything right. Always paid attention to detail.. our midweek looked great without tile on it...lol.. Schluter classes were funny because the guys teaching were never on their knees. All textbook guys. You're doing the trade a benefit. Thanks for your videos.
i started helping my dad and my uncle in 1977 in cenral florida.. back when everything was mud walls and mud floors. i learned how to float and screed walls and floors. back then
we had to mix mud with sand and portland for floors and sand with morter mix for walls. it was always a two part mix, alot of work just to get the mix right before
even adding the water. then our floors were like you said, we would use wet slurry on the mosaic on the floor, but any tile that was 4" or bigger we would soak the
tiles in a bucket of water then sprinkle dry powder cement on the fresh float and then take the wet tile and beat it into the fresh mud. all in the same day.
talk about a long hard day at work. i learned how to do all this but nobody wants to pay labor for that kind of work anymore. but they will pay ungodly amounts
for the garbage schluter system.
What would your walls be constructed of? The green board? Would you suggest soaking ceramic too?
@@tonychavez4056 these days i use cement board and thinset. no hardibacker
@Frank Glover: I learnt to tile the same way. You cut out the stuck down process and eliminated that expense but were able to do in the same day. On large floors we’d lay a strong thin paper like product on the floor if floor had fresh cracks. The tiles sounded hollow to walk on with “high heels” but werent loose or did not crack. Never had to repair a floor.
Ritch to middle class people will pay for this type of work, they want the best.
Isaac, what I love about your videos is the sense of pride and enjoyment in this work. I feel like a lot of people in this industry are simply doing it because they have some level of skill and it pays the bill. You on the other hand appear to be a true craftsman. You know your craft well, continue to learn, teach others, and enjoy what you do. Awesome stuff and keep up this amazing work. I live at the base of the foothills of El Dorado County and definitely plan to give you a call when we do any work on our bathrooms.
Beautiful job! When I started in the business in the 1970’s the mechanics would screed, then sprinkle pure dry Portland cement then water and set the tile on the screed and tap them in.
You are very good and should be proud of your workmanship!
How it's done by some tilers in Australia. I screed all my bathroom floors, but I don't need to use screed sticks to work to, just free hand with spirit levels and floats.
Your a good tile man !! , I’ve been in the trade since 1980 , Served apprenticeship in local 18 Southern California, custom homes , commercial work . 9 out of 10 tile setters used the same techniques as you !! Mud work all day every day !! It’s so refreshing to see to see a real tradesman work !! Love your videos , keep up the good work
Fantastic it’s becoming a lost art. Not that many newer homes with raised floor foundations that give you the room to float the floor. Thank You for the great videos. I feel like your apprentice.
I got a 60k year job just by watching you and sal
You go man, do this guy proud and show excellent work in all your projects !
Whats up Isaac, must say it’s good to see someone who knows some history about the trade and someone who has the skill and the ‘feel’ required to be a high end tile mechanic. My old man taught me, I’m 38 years old and been working on floating floors since I was 10 helping pops. I’m in Los Angeles originally from jersey, maybe we will cross paths at some point.... btw learning on the east coast we set screed ribbons of only mud and screeded off those, didn’t use the float strips until I got to Cali 10 years ago but they are nice and safer not to dig into the ribbons. Good stuff bro.
I REALLY appreciate you not editing out your mistakes and showing how to fix them. open, honest videos from professionals are hard to come by. Thanks again. Love the videos!
Wow that's pretty detail intensive (at least for me it was). It shows the saying "repetition is the mother of skill" + "love what you do" . Great job Isaac. I can't wait for the other vids for this bathroom.
Your videos are so amazing and helpful. Getting ready to tile our entryway so I’ve watched this at least a dozen times. You make it look so easy and everything makes sense. My confidence is high right now but I am betting that once I am about ten minutes in, all will go to hell and I will just curl into a fetal position and admire all of the new tools I bought. It won’t be that bad but inevitably, something will go wrong and I will just yell out tiling terms that I’ve learned from you when the wife walks past. Seriously though, thank you for making these videos. It’s so nice to see someone who truly loves what they do!
Enjoy these types of videos, seeing the different steps & work involved. You post these & are great, even your demo, etc... Most show a before & after, than do a montage for in between; appreciate the work of showing the entire process & “talking” to us. Not that other way is bad, just like the talking, tips, & personal “touch”.
Thx again, & cheers ✌🏼
The cabinet guys and shower glass guys must love to install over your floats and tile sets. You are a true craftsman and artist. 👍👍
Nice job brother excellent work! This is a lost art and we are a dying breed so it’s great to see someone such as yourself trying to open this craft up to people and i have been doing flooring for 20 years and I learn a lot from your methods! If you keep an open mind there’s always new things to learn!! I have used the self leveler quite a lot but I think next time I’ll try floating much cleaner and a better end result thanks keep up the great work!
Not to mention the cost of one little bag of self leveler $30. You could buy enough sand and cement to float the whole bathroom with and you have controlled of it as well
Things are pretty bad here in the east coast.Keep the videos coming. Got plenty of time to watch.Good job be safe.
Love your work!!
I'm just getting into tile work and been working with a general contractor that did not teach me how to level walls and floors.
If you screed with the flat wide side of the screed you are going to get some flex and may create a dip in your floor I usually use 1/8 in.side for walls and a combo of one in.sideand 1/8 in. For floors especially when running my 6 ft and 8 ft screed.also using a wood like sugar pine or larch have it milled so it's perfectly straigt makes a great screed for drypack
Where you filled your lathe strip it would be a good idea to scarify the area under the screed with your margin trowel because the fact that drypack doesn't stick to already packed mud and that goes for any packed area that is below your screed level a hand or knee iimprint always best to rough up these areas before re applying mud to the area.
Watching and learning from you is a wonderful experience!! You are a craftsman. Thank you Isaac. Cheers and much love
Well done brother! Hope all home owners like me appreciate flooring trades.
Great work. You pace yourself you don't rush. And you check yourself using your level. Awesome .
I like that this method levels the floor. I have a house built in 58 that's settled alot but not so much to where it's unworkable
Can't wait for an opportunity to try this out! Excellent video, detailed, exacting standards and masterful execution, just what folks like me are looking for. This helpful skill will come in VERY handy when needing to match a tricky floor height situation. Many Thanks !! Gonna buy a set of the Kraft straight edges.
Thank you very much for sharing this tutorial!🙏🙏💯👏
I have done floors like this that have been down for 25+ years with ski boot traffic on them, still solid.
I remodeling my mast bathroom and I am putting in a curbless walk-in shower and wish you were in NY instead of California. I think I’ve watched every video 😂
It's so satisfying seeing you iron you deck mud smooth
GREAT JOB ! thank you i am about to try to float a bathroom in my house and needed some good video to show me how thank you again!
Couldn't do it better myself great job
Fantastic to see superb work done. This is very detailed and labor intensive, and I suspect this is mostly beyond the capabilities of the typical DIY'er. It is just a pleasure to see how to do this work correctly.
Issac that was a great video! The float looked awesome 👌. I believe that is a skill that has to be reintroduced to a lot of guys that do tile. "Tile guys" know how already.
Float looks good from my house😃why not float the walls to?after all it is the best method
@@williamsauder1823 he said that he was going to float the walls as well lol. It is the best method imo. I don't always do my walls but always my floors especially with large format tile. Just makes it easier to set. I only do walls when it's needed.
Good work I always believe that a true tile man should brown his walls and flout his floor I don’t like that Hardie backer stuff bathroom don’t last as long as like when u scratch and brown a bathe room
I have never saw such ineffective methods
Well done guys!
Reason why the mud will flake off the next day I find is that.The mud on top isn’t bonded to the mud below or the surface wasn’t closed enough with the steel trowel.
Make sure to close the surface very well with a flat steel trowel!
Floating right handed and left handed ;) good job bro!
Good job brotha. This is better than HGTV....✌👍
Thanks big man. Really first class workmanship. Keep it up.
Who was your mentor ? I am asking because i am from Serbia former Yugoslavia (Europe) and i was teached the same way that you are doing it... its funny to me because i thought they dont do it the old school way anymore especially in the U.S.
Much love from Europe ! Pozdrav !
Some tilers here still do wet bed installs. Screed the floor, add straight cement to the floor and tap the wet tiles into the bed and grout it same day. Mostly start at the front door and use boards over the full tiles and pack it in.
Is this not what we call dry pack
Excellent video, always wondered how they get them so flat. Thanks mate, I could attempt that! 👍👍
the more i watch you, the more I see your skills man. Good! and very fun to watch you work with mud beds and the schulter and etc.. 👍👍
I really hope people learn this technique because its getting hard to find people, that know how to do this, they want to do something fast and that will most likely fail.
What kind of technique is that he could’ve just used he’s levels to screed the whole room and shower base and it would’ve past 100 percent
Outstandingly thorough video.
Honestly though
Just cover the floor with a couple sheets of 3/4" plywood and prime them. Pour self leveling compound on the plywood to fill up the remaining space up to the line you have marked on the wall for the height of the floor. After it dries you have a level slab.
Thank you for your coaching videos. I have learned a lot from them. They helped me install and tile my first shower. I am now taking on my 1/2 bath that is 30 sq ft. I have removed the tile and the deck mud down to the original concrete subfloor. It now needs to be raised 1" so the tile is level with the adjacent hardwood floor. Given the size of the area, could I put the slurry down in "sections" and work the deck mud over it as I go? I've never done this before and was wondering if there is an easier way for me to build up the floor? Even if it is more expensive, I am looking to do the job right and by myself (no helpers for this DIYer...) Again, thanks so much for the coaching....it is greatly appreciated.
I tile! You are like a yoda! Smart guy, like me, just more experienced! Lol! Respect!
A lot don't realize just how much variation in height and flatness there is on wooden subfloor, sometimes it can be an inch within a room. Floating is the only way to overcome these issues. The pure cement he referred to was often white and sufficed as the grout as well.
Great video and thanks for showing your work in such detail. It's really excellent.
Love the video and the execution of the process. Thanks
Thank you !
Fantastic work! We have a kitchen floor done in 1993 with this method, then tiled. My wife and I would like to replace the tile. Is there possibly a way to remove the tiles with minimizing damage to the mortar bed so we don’t have a much larger and messier project n our hands? The existing tiles have no cracks anywhere so the original bed I think is in excellent shape.. thanks
That's a pretty cool product I never seen before and I use to be a concrete guy good job 👌
Great skills on display, thanks for the excellent video.
Only one thing would have made this video better: Including the footage you skipped between 43:43 and 43:44, and between 55:23 and 55:24. If that was another hour, so be it. I would watch it all. I really wanted to see how you went around the toilet flange and how you floated the corners from the door.
Likewise, I'll watch all the tile footage. Speeding up a few bits (like you did at one point) would be fine.
Hey boss that's hard work but you make it look easy and fun.love your videos thank you.
You are the man.
Would this be an extra coast to have you perfectly float a floor? This is complete skill, and I’m sure most homeowners wouldn’t understand the effort and extra time this takes. It definitely adds a day to a job, to let mortar bed set. I’m sure you could easily lay 1/4” cement board...and with the proper size notch trial lay tile the same day.. and still be pretty flush with the hardwood. Or was it just a matter of the subfloor was just to unlevel to work with?? Just curious. Mad respect by the way, this is awesome!
Part of the reason to float a floor is based on the area of the country you are in. In some of Isaacs videos he floats walls and that is due to earthquakes and such in the Cali. There is a lot of science into installing tiles and stones. And the best reason to float a floor or wall is make them perfectly flat, because no house has a flat floor or wall due to the amount houses settle after a while (and why in Cali, Oregon, and Washington state, some areas do not let anyone put framing up until the foundation has settles for at least a year and at times longer).
@@soccerindian12 thank you for that knowledge bro! I would’ve never thought that would be the reason for anything. Especially not framing until foundation settles. All so interesting. Im from over in VA where we never have earthquakes.
If you wait for a foundation to settle you didn’t do it right ! Most houses in developments are framed up as soon as the slab or knee wall forms are stripped.
We never even use any type of solid screed. Its all floating off the first screed we make. This looks like it would be a lot easier to learn as a beginner. I always used to struggle with cutting into my screeds when i first learned,
Channel strips work well when floating floors, a bit smoother than the redwood strips, leave tiny grooves to fill in, don't seem to flex as much and really easy to remove.
My recent bathroom remodel had a cracked tile floor so I popped off the mosaic to check the subfloor.. figured I had 1-2”’s of mortar bed to remove. Ended up being 8” heated concrete floor. Talk about a demo from hell.. removed 4 inches to the copper tubing, removed the copper and shimmed a plywood floor over it. Wish I’d seen your floating video first. Would have been so much easier than what I did 🤷♂️🤦♂️
Just curious with all the new products out there (ardex k 15 or equivalent) why the mud bed? I haven't done a mud bed in well over 20 years. Yeah self leveling is more expensive but a LOT less labor.
I like the powder cement trick! Good stuff
They still use that slurry method in Vietnam till this day . Incredible
The floor is perfect after wood float.....cements stick better to rough or open pored surfaces....same as brown coat for stucco...
Very nice job either way
You're the best-such quality work!!
flat earthers gonna luuuuv this one. "See, told ya it's flat!"
I have seen dozens of jobs where they left the float strips in the mud. Only to cause cracks in the tiles a year or 2 later
Have a bad concrete floor? You can use this method by first applying thinset to concrete, deck mud over. Great bond.
perfect job, thanks for a very nice and clear Video
You could just snap some lines around the bottom of walls so you have your height for the height of tiles you can always use a story pole to from the ceiling if the ceiling is flat and level
Excellent! Thank you. Good camera work too.
Excellent.
Beautiful
Simply amazing.
On a larger area, is it okay to use extra screeds to set your level instead of redwood? We need to bury some in floor heat pipes and that's what I was planning to do.
Fantastic as always 👌👌
Maybe this is a dumb question, but if the floating is just to level the floor why not use self leveling concrete? If mortar is necessary why not drop a laser line around the room set at the height of the floor your matching minus the tile and install screed strips almost like joists? That way you would only have to mortar once.
For the part of the floor that needs to be fully level*
I always mixed my own mud that I get at the yard your stuff looks good though even though I never used float strips I see they have good use I probably in reality pack my floors to much to where my arm is soar at the end of day on big mud jobs
Amazing! Inspirational! Thanks for theses
Thanks for the informative video.
Can we do flooding up to 4 inches as required in an office floor to conceal the electrical junction boxes and hide the undulations in the RCC?
Can we apply carpet or wooden flooring directly over this surface?
For the wood floating floor they give you paper and the carpet they give you a foam under Pad
You make this look easy. I just did a 34x34 damn
Great work as always but isn’t it easier to screed it instead
Thanks for making this video
If I start a job and can't finish it until the next day will that work and will the new mud bond to the cured mud? Thanks
For the less experienced or when you're doing a very large floor, can you stop in the middle of a floor and continue the next day? If so are there any special considerations for this? For instance, can you do your perimeter and then only partially finish filling in the mud in the field and the continue the next day? Should you only do as much of the perimeter/float strips as you're able to fill in in a single day? Should you pull your float strips and fill them in by the end of the day? If you've got a really large room and need to do it in sections can you stop in the middle? Hard to find any info in your videos or elsewhere about these types of situations.
Do you wet your float strips, I've had issues with them absorbing moisture from the mortar bed and getting cracks where the strips were....
The sand looks good
Good stuff!
Will the shower have a glass door or curtain to keep water in by your slope or will it be wide open? I enjoy watching your bath builds. Thank you.
You should make your heights from the sides each corner and the use a long level then bring mud of to that height do that from both sides then just drag the center down off that
exactly! This looks so unnecessarily labor intensive!
good job keep up the good work
Great informative video. Thanks
pity I didnt see this video last year May when I did my floor, I have to fix it now with self leveling compound
Thanks!
Nice video it will be nice to know how long will take to be ready for the install
Looks good from my House! 😂😂
Excellent work done keep it up
What do you think of those tile setters in poor nations - they seem to be next level when it comes to tile settling - mansions with marble and amazing geometry and accents. They still use cement slurry.
Good Work bud Subbed liked 👍🍺
Just curious I had my kitchen tiled 12 yrs ago and it became a nightmare most of the tiles are cracked and loose.. I just bought new tiles so I'm pricing around to rip up the old tile and install new and I have a half bath right off the kitchen that I want to run the same tile in I got an estimate for 5200 just want to know if this price seems to high.... It's about 175 sf...thanks
All our bathroom, en-suite and wet area floors are screeded to 25mm heights. But never seen a tradesman use rails? I usually just get heights around the perimeter with my laser level then tap the floor wastes down to make it 1:80 to the drain.
I do the same thing but just use a spirit level on top of my straight edge. If I’ve got wall tiles up I just measure the untiled bottom row as extra security because that line will already be level!
@@Will-nb8qk yeah that’s a good Method,, I do my floor first but and cut the first row in with a laser level. Might try your idea on the next job but lol
@@benjamindelfs2718: Its whatever is more efficient while maintaining high standards. I’ll tile wall first and leave bottom row off until I finish floor if I project I can complete the job in a day! An obvious variable is doing floor first to keep lines matching throughout wall and floor due to being the same tile. Anyway, good luck! 👍